


forget all the noise of this city

by QueerWinter



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Based on a Tumblr Post, DJ Chae Hyungwon, Fluff, M/M, Mention of alcohol, Mentioned Yugyeom and Bambam, Model Chae Hyungwon, Small Timeskips, Swearing, yes he is both
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28374078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueerWinter/pseuds/QueerWinter
Summary: Oh. Oh fuck. This is why Handsome Stranger is familiar. He's Chae Hyungwon. He's a few years older, and has longer hair, and he got even more beautiful - even if that should be impossible - but it's undoubtedly, unmistakably Chae Hyungwon. Changkyun wants to die. What can he answer to that? 'Yeah, that's exactly what happened. We went to the same high school and I even had a crush on you, how funny, haha'? Not going to happen.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun | I.M
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	forget all the noise of this city

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the last prompt of [this post](https://goingforwards.tumblr.com/post/130867816356/weve-been-commuting-on-the-same-train-for-a), by tumblr user _goingforwards_.
> 
> The title is from the lyrics of 'Night View'.

Changkyun lets himself fall into the airport chair with a groan. His flight just got delayed three hours, great. “You're on the flight to Korea too?” a voice next to him says, badly startling him. Changkyun sits up straighter and looks at the stranger, who seems to be repressing a smile at Changkyun's reaction.

“Yeah,” Changkyun replies. Then he realizes the stranger - who's actually quite handsome - had spoken in Korean. In the same language, he asks: “You're going back home too?” That's what he's doing, in any case; coming home to Korea after two weeks of visiting his parents in Boston.

The stranger nods. He looks kind of familiar, though Changkyun's not sure where he might have seen him before. And there's an easy sense of complicity between the two of them, the kind born out of two strangers going through the same unfortunate circumstances. "I was here for a contract," the stranger says.

Just because he can - this is an airport, and they might be going to the same country but it's not like they'll see each other again after the flight -, Changkyun indulges in a little bit of flirting. He smirks and says: “What, a modelling contract?” Totally straight-faced, the stranger nods. Changkyun immediately loses countenance. "Shit, really?"

Damn it, he should have guessed. Of course the handsome stranger with a perfect face couldn't be a boring accountant, he had to be an honest-to-god model. There's an amused glint in the stranger's eyes.

“... No, not really,” the stranger suddenly says.

Changkyun gapes and hits his arm. “Yah, stop fucking with me.”

“I really do model, though,” Handsome Stranger clarifies. “But I came here to DJ for a festival.” Jesus, could he stop getting cooler? Still, Changkyun eyes him with a bit of doubt, not willing to get tricked a second time. The stranger, smiling, raises his hands and affects an air of innocence. “I'm being honest, this time.” When Changkyun seems to believe him, the stranger asks: “So, where are you going back to, exactly?”

“I live in Gwangju.”

The stranger's brows raise. “Me too,” he says, seeming almost disbelieving. Then he adds jokingly: “Maybe we've met already without knowing. Maybe you went to Dangyeol High School too.”

Oh. Oh fuck. This is why Handsome Stranger is familiar. He's Chae Hyungwon. He's a few years older, and he has longer hair, and he got even more beautiful - even if that should be impossible - but it's undoubtedly, unmistakably Chae Hyungwon. Changkyun wants to die. What can he answer to that? 'Yeah, that's exactly what happened. We went to the same high school and I even had a crush on you, how funny, haha'? Not going to happen. But he can't lie about it. Besides, he's been silent too long, this is getting weird. “... Actually.” Hyungwon looks at him blankly.

Changkyun hopes Hyungwon hasn't gotten famous enough that he thinks Changkyun is some kind of lying stalker that researched him and just wants to get close to him. 

“I'm Im Changkyun, I was two years behind you. Chae Hyungwon, right?” What else is there, what else could make Hyungwon believe him? “Uh, some of my friends, Yugyeom and Bambam, were in the dance club with you?”

Thankfully, Hyungwon gets a glint of recognition at that. He nods slowly. “Yeah, I kinda remember them. Though I did forget almost everything about high school as soon as I was done with it.”

Changkyun barks a laugh. “Ok, yeah, same,” he says, before adding: “Hey, wanna go get, like, something to eat? We're gonna be stuck here for a few more hours anyway.”

“Sure.”

They chat lightly as they make their way around the airport, looking for a cafe. They settle on a simple one, some chain shop, ordering a slice of cake and a drink each - it's overpriced as hell, but it's not like it was gonna be cheaper anywhere else. Hyungwon avoids coffee, saying he wants to sleep as soon as he gets in the plane. They talk about their jobs and their friends and Gwangju as they eat, slipping into easy banter. Hyungwon doesn't finish his cake, which Changkyun doesn't mind finishing for him, though it does make him briefly wonder why Hyungwon agreed to this if he wasn't really hungry. It doesn't occur to him that Hyungwon might be appreciating his company as much as Changkyun is appreciating his.

* * *

Changkyun hopes life will pull a cliché and they'll discover that their seats are next to each other on the plane, but no such luck. It's a direct flight too, so there'll be no stop in between. The only silver lining is that they've exchanged KakaoTalk handles.

Sixteen hours later, Changkyun is grumpy and drowsy; he had only managed to doze lightly during the flight, hadn't been able to fall asleep. For someone who was carted around the world as a child, he should really be better used to airplanes, he thinks. He just wants to sleep for 48 hours in a row, but before that, he has to get cleared through customs and wait for his suitcase.

He stands in front of the baggage carousel with his arms crossed, trying to keep his eyes open. He has his glasses on, having had to take out his contacts after wearing them for too long. Someone sidles up next to him, a bit closer than a stranger should– ah, Changkyun thinks as his tired brain catches up, it's Hyungwon. Hyungwon yawns, managing to make even that seem elegant. Changkyun looks at him properly, at his rumpled clothes and the strands of hair that are out of place, at the faint pillow mark on his cheekbone. It's so cute. “God, this is why I had a crush on you.”

Hyungwon freezes and looks at him with wide eyes. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, Changkyun is suddenly very awake. Damn it, he said that out loud, didn't he? He didn't mean to, his mouth got ahead of his brain in his fatigue. But then Hyungwon smirks and says: “'Had'? You don't anymore?” And then he has the gall to ask: “Why not?”

Changkyun gapes at him, but the teasing did its job and his flash of panic is receding. “Never mind,” he huffs, “you're insufferable and I hate you.”

Hyungwon gasps in mock offence and then pouts.

Changkyun's attention is diverted when he spots his suitcase. “Ah!” He hurries to get it. Then, walking slowly, he gets back to Hyungwon. What now? Does he just leave? He can't justify staying, right? Ok, but what's an appropriate goodbye in this situation?

“Hey, are you staying at a hotel before going back?” Hyungwon asks. 

Changkyun holds back the 'Yeah, and you could share my hotel room' to answer with a more reasonable: "Yes, at the Nightview."

Hyungwon's face lights up. “Me too. Once I get my suitcase, why don't we share a taxi, split the fare?” The pause is not long enough for Changkyun to accept or refuse before Hyungwon adds: “You don't have to, of course. If someone had told me to stay even longer at the airport after a sixteen hours long flight, god knows I would have said no.”

“I'm not that tired,” Changkyun answers, which is clearly a lie: a bit more and he'd be swaying on his feet. “I can wait,” he says, which is more true.

* * *

The next day, in the early afternoon, the two of them wait for their respective rides, sitting together on a couch in the hotel's lobby. Hyungwon is playing Among Us on his phone and Changkyun is looking at the game, his chin resting on Hyungwon's shoulder and his arms wrapped around him. Hyungwon is a terrifying imposter, and Changkyun absolutely wants him to join his monthly mafia game with his college friends just so Hyungwon can decimate all of them.

The two of them did share a hotel room last night after all. They didn't fool around that much, since they were both tired, but they did fool around a little, and they might also have shared a bottle of cheap champagne, because why should it be restricted solely to grand occasions if it tastes good? And Changkyun is of the opinion that he's definitely hit the jackpot with Hyungwon, because not only does he look like _that_ (meaning, like the model he is), but he's also a great kisser and he's funny and he seems to like talking with Changkyun as much as Changkyun likes talking to him.

They're nothing serious, of course - years of not talking to each other at high school and then a concentrated few hours of spending time together nonstop does not equal a solid relationship, no matter how comfortable with each other they feel already. But it's a start, and they have each other's numbers, and they live in the same area. Changkyun is reasonably hopeful about this.

A car pulls up, and Changkyun recognizes it as Jooheon's. “That's me,” he says, disentangling from Hyungwon. The latter looks up from his phone.

“I'll see you soon,” Hyungwon says, simply but with certainty. Changkyun smiles, and he thinks he might look like a smitten idiot right now. He doesn't mind.

Hyungwon's taxi pulls up behind Jooheon's car, so the man puts away his phone, and they make their way outside together, rolling their suitcases behind them. Jooheon exits his car, walks around it to take the handle of Changkyun's suitcase and greet him with a “Hi, man”. He sends a curious look to Hyungwon but doesn't question him. 

As Jooheon puts the suitcase in his car trunk, Changkyun grasps the lapels of Hyungwon's shirt to make him lean down, and then he kisses him.

Changkyun isn't looking at Jooheon, but he can imagine his astonished expression.

“See you soon,” Changkyun says, before Hyungwon regretfully splits from him to get his own suitcase in the taxi's trunk with a bit of help from the driver.

“Changkyun,” Jooheon hisses, voice low enough so that only Changkyun will hear him. “Did you somehow get yourself a boyfriend in the last twenty-four hours? Changkyun!” Jooheon clicks his tongue at him, but Changkyun, still looking at Hyungwon, isn't really listening.

Hyungwon sends him a last, sweet smile, before getting into the backseat of the taxi, which drives around Jooheon's car and quickly disappears as it turns at an intersection.

“Yeah, I got myself a boyfriend,” Changkyun finally answers, before getting in the car's passenger seat. He's ready to go home.


End file.
